


One Night Lasts

by ArkadyFinch (ArkadyFlinch)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Culture, Aliens, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Post-Break Up, post break up looking for a one night stand, with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-06-10 02:24:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15281514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArkadyFlinch/pseuds/ArkadyFinch
Summary: Lutz has had the biggest breakup of his life - literally. Omori live their entire lives with the same 8-10 individuals. Rarely is one of his kind ever alone, and if they are - they either die off or something is seriously wrong with them. Seeking to ease his loneliness, even for a night, he goes to a bar in search of a one night stand.Angst and fluff ensue when he meets a strangely friendly human named Brynn.





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Another Lizard alien for yall!

Lutz had spent the past week in a sort of haze, unable to quite follow the tracks of his life since he’d been Shorn. Life had stopped, for him, becoming an endless cycle of going to work until he dropped, crashing at various coworkers’ homes - and occasionally at the home of his Brood - long after everyone else had fallen asleep, of course. As it stood, things couldn’t go on like this, but he soldiered on, doing what he’d been taught to do since leaving his home world. 

Work, sleep, live for his family - his Brood. Now, though, it was just work and sleep. Die, inevitably, though reports of Omori surviving being Shorn were scattered throughout the galaxy, they were too far-fetched to be believed. Besides, those who could live on their own were monsters; a vital part of being Omori taken from them, leaving them shells of themselves. 

Somehow, though, Lutz was doing it. Collapsing from exhaustion in stranger’s homes, yes, but he was, somehow, still alive. 

The fact that he was still alive seemed to please his human coworkers, to his confusion. What use was a life without one’s Brood? He’d never lived without one, and the anxiety and fear and  _ loneliness _ was almost enough to keep his overworked body from finding respite. 

 

He knew his co workers were talking around him, but he wasn’t paying attention until Human Korrin clapped him on the back and said, “Lutz, we’re getting you laid tonight!” 

 

It took him a moment to draw himself back into his body, and he slurred, blinking and focusing on the group of men around him also on their lunch break, “What?”

 

Human Korrin grinned, flashing flat white teeth. “It’s the best way to get over a breakup, go out there and get laid. Me and Fallon are going to the Ark tonight to get a honey, too!”

 

Fallon nodded over his own lunch, grunting along with Korrin’s excitement. 

 

Lutz sighed, “It’s not a breakup, it’s the end of a Life-Bond with people I’ve known and loved my whole li-”

Korrin’s fingers dug into the overworked muscles of his shoulder, and the man interrupted, “Some Life-Bond if they threw you out over some stupid shit, huh?”

 

He cringed, but couldn’t deny the human’s reasoning. A Shearing was never heard of on the home world. Those who were Shorn often died afterwards, and everyone did everything they could to prevent it. Even moving someone into a new Brood. Since he’d reached adulthood and found his Brood, he’d never been alone. Even before, he’d been raised with all of the other Omori children. 

In his opinion, he’d been Shorn over nothing. A lack of...something. Some sort of shortage that all other Omori naturally had. They’d put up with him for years, but once they’d been sent out into space to work, had they been able to ditch him, where the laws of their land didn’t apply. Back home he would have been taken care of, no matter what was wrong with him. Here everything cost money. Money to sleep, money to eat, money to live. 

 

As it stood now, he was sleeping at whatever house would have him. Most of his coworkers had already hosted him. Korrin had been reprimanded by his landlord this morning - their apartment cells were cramped as is, couldn’t have more people in them than mandated. 

 

He could afford a hotel - barely, but he didn’t like being alone. Couldn’t sleep alone, no matter how hard he tried. Booze helped, but, again, he could hardly afford anything - it’s not like his Brood had left him anything. 

Korrin wrapped the arm on his shoulder around the back of his neck, muttering in the space between them, “Plus, you’ll have a place to sleep for the night, yeah? Might be worth a try.”

 

Before he knew it everyone was scattered, lunch break over. Lutz packed up his food and went back to work.

 

This station was a new installation, running on skeleton crew, with hardly any nightlife to be had. They were working in the future space port, the sounds of welding metal and clanking of panels into place making the space loud. Lutz drifted as he worked, hands busy while his mind was empty. 

 

Humans, he’d very quickly learned, thought sex an answer to everything. Listening to Korrin and Fallon and Tori joking through their shift, he would try to join in, but it was hard, both play acting like he was fine and relating to a species he was only just becoming familiar with. Some things  didn’t quite translate yet, like human gestures. Sometimes Korrin and another human just had to look at each other and they were howling in laughter. As far as he knew, humans weren’t like Omori, they couldn’t feel what others were feeling. So seeing this happen left him confused. 

 

Now that he was thinking about it, though, he would much rather find someone who was also lonely and stay with them, than to go back to his Brood’s living quarters and feel all of their resentment and pain and guilt and anger. 

 

Lutz had never thought about other species though. He’d been with his Brood and they’d made things work, the most of them. Easy to hook up with someone who’d been friends since they were young. Easy to hook up with someone who could feel what you wanted, and taste your desire in the air. Out of all the species, only the main four were present on the station. Omori, Human, Exo-Genetics, and Artificiers. He turned them over in his head, rejecting each one for one reason or another. 

Humans liked to play pranks, and many didn’t like Omori. They couldn’t tell what their pheromones meant but they could sure smell them. He’d been shouted at a few times - usually outside work hours. It didn’t make sense to him, but it made him feel self conscious nonetheless. Humans stank too, though. He worked with enough to recognize the scent of their sweat. 

Artificier were nearly celibate, and beholden to their Undersea Queens back home.

 

Exo were just too strange for him - what would he even do with a carapace?

 

And no Omori would take someone who’d been Shorn, not out here. Loners were dangerous, or dying. 

 

Lutz took a break from welding to look at the scales on his hands. Paler than normal, but they were still firm. He’d seen sicker Omori, so he wasn’t dying, was he? If he was dying anyway, so be it, but he had no desire to end it. Without something to look forward to, though, he couldn’t find it in himself to be upset if he were. Curious, in the same detached way he was with most things. 

 

After his shift, looking in the mirror, he cringed. No Omori would take someone who looked so exhausted, either. 

The already darker scales under his eyes were almost purple, bruised and dull. He polished them with some water, smiling meekly at himself. Here goes nothing. 

 

The club wasn’t crowded - not a lot of places here were, this was a budding station afterall, construction was still underway and many were only here for the building. Lutz followed his co workers as they were handed flat disks and given a run down on how they operated.

 

Leaving it off would signal they didn’t want any attention. Turning it on would give them several lists of preferences to choose from. As Fallon and Korrin picked out a table he picked at it, looking through the settings and thinking over each decision.

First was the list of species, he glanced around the area, noting how the energy was cool and relaxed, soft house music playing, dim lighting, nothing flashing or heart pounding to add to the awkwardness of what places like The Ark were. There were several patrons, and as the dinner hour approached more would filter in. Humans and Omori, like his group, fresh from their jobs were lingering. He spotted a couple of Piscine, but couldn’t see their disks from where they sat at their table, quietly giggling and signing at each other. 

As another patron entered and recieved their disk his eyes went wide, and the conversation between Korrin and Fallon fell silent.

Artificer were reclusive, he’d never spoken more than a couple of words with one, and Queens were even more rare. He’d never even heard of them leaving their planet, yet here one was, being pushed by a robotic drone up to the bar. Soft fur covered her face and her beautiful inky black hair cascaded down her back. Fallon cleared his throat, then got up to sit beside her and her aide. 

Korrin winked at Lutz, then peered over at his disk. “Come on, buddy! Make your selection already!” He took a sip of his beer and pushed one towards Lutz, who hadn’t even seen him order it. “I don’t want to leave before I see you taken care of, Lutz.”

 

Swallowing, Lutz selected the broadest specifications he could. What did he have to lose? Any species, up for anything. His disk lit up a soft orange, usually offensive color dimmed and pulsing lightly. He didn’t see a lot of other orange disks, usually the colors were restricted to blues or purples - same species only. Korrin’s was more pinkish, signifying something else entirely.

Korrin tapped his, “Means I’m up for all types except Exo-Genetics. Female, preferably, though gender doesn’t mean a lot out here.” As he looked at Lutz’ his eyebrows danced up and down, “Anything, huh? Brave. I can’t judge though. Wait for a bit - more will start to show. Feel free to walk around - I’ll hold the table down.”

 

As nervous as he was - he decided to stay put and drink while more filtered in. Humans, usually - this was their sector of space. A few more Piscine, but they tended to stick together. 

A couple Exo walked in, disks orange, the same as him. He watched them for a bit, but no one came to his table and he didn’t leave his, so he slowly began to relax. Nothing against the Exo, but chitin was a little out of his comfort zone. He wouldn’t turn down company or a place to sleep, but having someone like him being so nervous couldn’t be a turn on for them. 

He spotted a few Artificer walk in, but the second they saw the Queen there they bristled and rushed back out. He didn’t know enough to understand why. All he could remember from the introductory vids was that the Artificer obeyed their Queens to a fault and that the Queens never left planetside. So, wrong on one point already. 

Those hokey videos were probably outdated and relied too much on stereotypes, but it was all he had to go on, and he wasn’t going to ask Korrin, who was busy ogling everyone who walked in. 

 

He really shouldn’t be here. The thought of being happy as he was, was impossible. Without a community to support him he didn’t deserve anyone. Even if it was for a night and the possibility of spending it without the loneliness clawing its way out of his chest. He was awkward, and short, and clingy. That’s what all the other races were told, right? Omori were clingy and eager to bond, almost impossible to breathe around. His chest tightened and he downed the dregs of his beer while his knuckles turned pale around the smooth glass. 

 

Korrin stretched, then grabbed their bottles and moved to the bar to replace them. Alone at the table was almost more than he could stand. He nervously bounced his legs and tried not to scratch the leather seats with his claws. His tail thumped on the seat and he felt his chest grow tight, like he was holding his breath - when really he was sucking down air like it was in limited supply. 

 

The thought of failing here and having to go back to his Brood to sleep filled him with irrational panic, and he was about to get up and slink over to Korrin - busy chatting with another human at the bar - when someone sat next to him. 

The disk they set down was a matching shade of orange, and he looked at them open mouthed as they flagged down a waitress and in a deep, calming voice asked for drinks for the both of them. 

Eyes darker than the plates on Lutz’ head and down his back glanced his way, and the human’s mouth twitched up into a smirk as they asked what he wanted. 

He looked to the waitress, as if she could explain to him what was happening and stammered out an order. 

 

Once they were alone, the human held out a hand to shake and murmured their name. “Brynn.”

Lutz took their warm hand in his and they shook, he replied, “Lutz,” still feeling like this was all a mistake. 

 

The human - Brynn - ran their hands through their hair -also orange - and glanced his way again, smiling at Lutz before tapping his disk. “S’okay if I sit here with you, right?”

 

Swallowing, Lutz nodded, unsure of what to say. Brynn wasn’t supplying conversation, but their posture was so relaxed, they sat as if they belonged there, and Lutz believed it. 

 

Finally he managed to croak, “W-what brings you here?”

 

Brynn raised one dark eyebrow, lips curling, “Company, same as you. Or, I think so…?”

 

Lutz nodded rapidly, tail curling into his lap where his hands busied themselves running themselves over the scales on his tail. “Y-yeah.”

 

He felt Brynn’s stare on him for a few moments, then he knocked on the table between them. “Knock if you want me gone, okay? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. Or just say so - you seem like you’re nervous.”

 

“Yeah - no - I - this is my first time.”

 

By this time their drinks had arrived, and Brynn clinked their glass with his, and laughed, “Congrats, then. Welcome to the dating game. Or the one night flings game - whichever it is you’re looking for.”

 

Games. This was a game. Lutz tried to calm down to the thought. He took a deep breath and focused on anything not-Brynn to center himself. 

 

Korrin grinned and flashed him a thumbs up from across the bar. Korrin would save him if things went south. Or he could knock - or talk - if he wanted Brynn gone. He was in control. 

 

He released his tail from his death grip and wrapped his hands around another beer. Fallon was still talking to the Queen, who didn’t seem to be talking back much, but her head was tilted his way, and drinks were steadily growing on the counter beside them. 

 

“I don’t see a lot of blue ‘Mori. It’s a nice color on you.” 

When he frowned and turned to Brynn he found them grinning widely at him, thumb swiping the side of their nose. 

 

“Thanks? I can’t really change it if I wanted to.” He stared at Brynn’s hair, then at the dark color of his brows and the peek of not-quite-shaved hair growing on the human’s face. “Did you change your hair?”

 

Brynn nodded, “Been a bottle ginger for years.” At Lutz’ confused look they chuckled and added, “I’ve been dyeing it for a while now.”

 

“That is an uncommon color...at least I haven’t seen anyone else here with it…” Lutz looked down at his drink, glancing up at Brynn as the human chuckled. 

 

“Me n my sister have the same hair, you might see her around [] district.”

 

Eager to leave the awkward subject of appearance, Lutz quickly sipped at his drink and asked, “You have a sister?” Quickly, he tried to remember how other species quantified family titles. By blood, he recalled.

 

“Twin.” Brynn murmured into his own  drink, dark eyes focused on Lutz. After a pause, he added, “You know, two for the price of one?”

 

Lutz frowned over this saying, then nodded, unsure. “Y-yeah! So you’re the same age? Grew up together? What’s that like?”

 

For a second, Brynn’s face shifted into some emotion Lutz couldn’t follow, but quickly smoothed back out into a smile, “We’re close, have been for forever. We’re identical, so we look alike. Spent a lot of time pretending to be each other, funny enough. Annoy each other sometimes but she has my back, and I have hers. No matter what.” He shrugged, then took a quick drink. “Can I ask you about yourself? I hear your people live in big groups. Family? Or…?”

 

Lutz sat up straighter, blinking at the sudden question. He took his time answering, both to quell the pain that kicked back at the mention of Broods and to figure out how to explain something so intrinsic to his life. Had this been how Brynn had felt? Not likely. “It’s like...family...but not.” He swished his next sip in his mouth a bit, tongue running over his sharp teeth. “Most species use blood relations to signify family. So siblings are born of the same parents, right?”

Brynn nodded, but remained silent.

 

“We all grow up together. All children. As we grow we form relationships, no matter what our blood says. We form close relationships with a group, and when we reach adulthood those relationships...hn…” He laughed, embarrassed, “I don’t know the right word but...becomes stronger? It’s...hard to say. They become our world, being away from them is hard, both because we don’t know what to do without our brood bonds and because we’ve never been alone.”

He hadn’t realized the emotion in himself until he paused for a deep breath and found himself shaking, voice wavering as pressure built in his chest. He quickly gulped down his beer, eyes screwed shut as he willed himself not to mourn so publically. He battled with the pressure in his head and forced down the swelling in his throat, coughing as he did. Brynn was watching him, smile gone, so Lutz offered up his own smile, as weak as it felt. 

 

His companion nodded, taking some time to drink and look around the Ark. Lutz felt himself flush, knowing he’d overstepped or ruined the mood, or proven how weak and despicable his people were for-for

 

“It must be painful to be here, then. But you’re here for a reason, right?” The man nodded to his coworkers up by the bar, “They aren’t forcing you, are they?” He mimed knocking on the table, then placed his arms on the table, leaning forward, but not towards Lutz. 

 

“I-I didn’t mean to be a burden. I’m sorry, if you want to go talk to someone else-”

 

Brynn turned, swiftly, the serious expression on his face melting into something else. His eyes got bigger, and Lutz looked away, blushing. Those eyes almost looked like those of a Kuvo ; wide and dark and deeper than the holes the small mammals burrowed into solid rock. “No, not at all! I-” He bit his lip and smiled, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn't want to be. You look like you need to talk about it, or just to forget for awhile - I wanna help, however I can.” 

He flagged a waitress, then asked for some water for him and Lutz, who was grateful for her timing so he could gather himself. 

 

It felt strange, confiding in a stranger. But he’d been alone for so long he almost enjoyed it. Having someone pay attention to him, someone concerned over him. He settled back in his chair, hands gripping a old glass of water while he glanced up at his human companion. 

“I- thank you.” 

 

Brynn winked at him, then asked, softly, “You’re not being forced to be here, right? You don’t seem to be looking for a one night stand - if you are, by all means - but my intuition says otherwise.”

 

“This wasn’t my idea but I came here anyway. I’m  _ so  _ tired of sleeping alone. It’s...impossible.”

“I bet it is. Must be hard, going it alone. You have somewhere to stay? Somewhere safe?”

 

For a moment Lutz considered lying. If only to preserve what dignity he had left. But he was also tired of pretending he was ok for the aliens around him. Any other Omori would be a wreck - if not dead- and here he was, still trying. His supervisor had warned him once they’d gotten his shift changed away from his Brood - no one wanted to hear about his dramas. Except for the attractive - yes, he decided, there was something attractive about him - man before him. Something about those eyes, and his friendly smile, and the way Lutz imagined he would be cradled in those arms, safe and warm.

 

Lutz took a quick gulp of water before answering. “I...do. It’s not...ideal, though.” He nodded to Korrin, “He’s put me up but there’s not a lot of room. And I could go home, but…”

 

“No.” Brynn’s voice was loud between them, and Lutz looked up at him, worried. “Even if you’re safe, you don’t want to go back, do you?”

 

Lutz found his hands shaking again, and stilled them as he shook his head no.

 

Brynn looked at him, lips twitching as he stared, before opening his mouth to say something, but Lutz smelled them as soon as he saw them, and his attention was ripped away from him, and to the group that had entered the Ark.

 

Omori. Not his Brood, but Omori all the same. He twitched, almost getting up to leave before he remembered himself. Brynn was already twisting around in his chair to look at what Lutz was fixated on, and he made a strange noise with his tongue - almost a hiss. 

 

When Brynn turned back, that expression Lutz couldn’t read was back. Brows drawn and mouth turned down like with anger, but eyes wide and almost...scared. Brynn stretched, suddenly, squaring his shoulders and looking as big as possible, even leaning on the table to obscure Lutz’ view of the Omori while he whispered, “Is that them? Do you need to leave?” 

 

“No,” Lutz hissed, then, “Yes.”

 

Without a word, Brynn scanned his chip on the table, settling their bill and got up, awkwardly maneuvering around to Lutz, keeping his body between Lutz and the Omori while he pointed to the back of the room. “There’s a way out over there. Do you want me to come with you?”

 

Lutz grabbed Brynn’s hand and hurried them out of the Ark, when he looked back to see if the Omori had seen them, he met Brynn’s lopsided grin with a small smile of his own. 


	2. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lutz succeeds in finding a place to stay for the night.

Lutz had some idea of where they were going, winding through the streets during one of the lesser populated cycles. Stations had no day or night, but time was segmented into quarters. They were in the 4th right now, and usually work took him from 2nd to late 3rd, with 4th and 1st being used to sleep and deal with life. He wasn’t usually out during this time, but he knew the area more or less. 

His Brood used to love going on walks when they got here, exploring until they’d remembered the layout of their district. This was on the outer ring of their old territory, so he veered off out of the places he recognized and into the unknown. Brynn kept up easily with his longer legs, and as Lutz hesitated at an intersection, Brynn took the lead.

 

The space above them stretched onwards into darkness, hiding the truly immense proportions of their station. Once complete, Lutz had heard that there would be a simulation of a sky - whose, though, he wasn’t sure. Human, probably. 

 

Like a kick in the gut, he suddenly missed his home. The horizon, something he rarely saw even on his home world, would stretch on endlessly until the dunes swallowed it up. When it was safe to come out, the sky was well on its way to nighttime. The rising of the moon in a sea of lavender was something he’d never see again.

 

His feet dragged and he slowed to a stop, resisting Brynns pull until the human turned to look at him. 

 

“I...i can't…” he panted, tossing his head back to look at the dark, empty space above them, upper mechanics of the station lost in the darkness. 

 

What little of his family was left - if his coworkers could even be counted family were gone. It was just them in the half lit alleys surrounded by empty buildings. 

 

Hands were on his face and a warm breath on his neck. Brynn took a deep breath with him and asked again, “Are you okay?”

 

Alone. He was alone. The universe's greatest terror surrounding him and he was...alright. Sad, tipsy, a little scared of the lack of life, but under control, alive, and...okay. He was okay.

 

He really was some form of soulless monster.

And he didn't care.

 

“I'm...fine.” 

 

Brynns face was cast in shadow but he could still see those dark brows raise. He let out a laugh at the display - almost identical to an Omori’s. “Everything still hurts but I'm...okay. I'm not gonna die.”

 

Instead of dying, he was being lead through the streets by a cute if worried human. He squeezed Brynns hand, “Where are we going?”

 

“Where do you want to go?” 

 

The freedom of choice opened up before him like the vast emptiness of space just outside their metal shell. 

Anywhere. He could go anywhere from here. No more worrying about his family. 

 

What was he without one?

 

Brynn squeezed his hand and he felt warmth bloom in his chest. Not a full room, by any means, but tonight at least he had someone.

 

“I, uh, don't really know what to do for fun around here…?”

 

Brynn made a sound in his chest that sounded like a gruff sort of sigh. His lips curled upwards and he pulled Lutz along as they walked down a dimly lit street. “Not a lot to do in an empty station. Except drink.” 

He made the noise again and Lutz determined that it was a kind of laugh, by the way it shook his frame. 

 

“What do you like to do?”

 

Brynn met his eyes with a grin, but deflected yet again, “Whatever you want.”

 

Lutz pulled back, breaking their contact and rubbing his hands together as he took a step back. “I'm trusting you a lot right now.”

 

Brynn paused, then made a gesture Lutz didn’t quite understand, but his voice was lower and he spoke a bit slower. “I...thank you. For that. This is...new to me.” 

The human stood there, silent for a few more moments, and right when Lutz began to think he should have said something back, Brynn snorted, then reached out his hand. 

“I’m sorry. I’m being rude.” He leaned down to Lutz height so they were nearly eye to eye. The grin slowly spread across Brynn’s face again, “I happen to love movies. I watch a lot of them. Why don’t we go back to my place and you can pick out anything you want to watch? Or I can make suggestions. I’ve seen a lot of them.”

 

For the first time since mentioning his sister, Lutz found Brynn sharing something, and he smiled back, grabbing his hand. “I haven’t seen alien-made movies.”

 

Brynn entwined their fingers as he maneuvered through the streets, feet doing a strange double-step as they headed towards more populated streets. “Oh ho ho! I have quite the list for us to work through, may take a few days.”

 

He launched into the various genres between the species’ and Lutz smiled as the human began going into common tropes and what happened when genres were swapped between them. He didn’t understand a lot, but hearing the warm hum of Brynn’s voice and feeling him squeeze his hand at the exciting parts made him feel less on the spot and more like Brynn was actually here with him. The world shrank down until it was just them two, no longer one vast empty space with two wandering souls travelling the same lonesome roads. 

 

Brynn lived at the edge of all the construction, which made sense, seeing as he’d known the area enough to let them wander. He wondered how strange it must be to be in so quiet an area. They hardly passed anyone on their way, and even in the lobby while they waited for the lift, they didn’t see anyone. 

The building had signs of habitation, it was just quiet. 

 

Brynn caught him looking around and paused his lecture on the prevalence of Spaghetti Westerns to comment, “Everyone here sleeps during these quarters. Perks of having the ‘night-shift’.” 

 

“Night shift?” 

 

“I work late Fourth early First. All of the lab technicians do. They let us sleep while the laborers and the administration work.” He shrugged, “I guess someone has to work the odd hours, and it suits me fine.”

 

They stepped into the lift and Brynn fell silent, so Lutz picked up the conversation. “Oh, I work Second and Third. My shift is changing soon so I don’t have to work while my Brood is.” He sighed, “They reassigned my work location but I still see them.”

 

“Shifts are completely different worlds, once you switch they won’t bother you.” Brynn paused, about to say something, then pressed on, “If we hadn’t been interrupted where would the night have taken us?”

 

Lutz shrugged, “Here, probably. That’s why we were at the Ark, right?”

 

Brynn giggled, “Okay but I’m serious about the movies. Don’t think I invited you over under false pretenses, we will watch movies as long as you’re awake.”

 

Rather than be put off by the change of plans, Lutz relaxed. He could watch movies. A lot easier than his - Korrin’s - first plan. “That’s fine! I’m just…” He paused, worried he might breach some cultural barrier he wasn’t aware of. Korrin hadn’t been the most empathetic over Lutz’ loneliness. He’d attributed it to something unrelated, like getting laid or having a place to sleep. That wasn’t it. If he had to, he could sleep in his own place. He could get his own place. But the prospect of coming home to an empty, dead space was...It was too terrifying to name. 

“Can I be honest with you?”

 

Brynn smirked, “Have you been honest so far?”

 

“Mostly. I wasn’t trying to find someone to...to…I mean I would’ve - you-you’re cute and if we were-” He covered his face with his hands, claws digging into the space just underneath his horns. “I’m messing this up.”

 

Brynn stepped away as the lift stopped, laughing. “Come on. It’ll take more than that to get uninvited to movie night - though you may have talked your way out of a make out session later.”

 

In a way his light-hearted response allowed Lutz to refocus instead of worrying over offending him. He took a deep breath. “I was - and am, kind of? - prepared to uh…” He flushed and followed Brynn quickly, “lay with you. But I was really looking for a place to stay the night. I’m sorry this is weird and it was my human friend’s idea and-” 

 

Brynn stopped in front of a door and leaned down to Lutz’ level, waiting until his stammering came to a halt. Lutz hid behind his hands again and held his breath, but Brynn tugged his hands back down and spoke calmly, “You are under no obligation to sleep with me because we met at a bar. For coming to my home, I only ask you tolerate my bad taste in entertainment. As for the staying the night - why not ask?”

 

Lutz felt like an idiot but for once he didn’t feel like the butt of some joke. Brynn was calm and his face was neutral - or too hard to read he wasn’t sure - and he waited patiently for a response without making demands. “I uh...I’m sorry about all this.” He cleared his throat and straightened his back, “May i stay the night?”

 

Brynn nodded, then opened the door. “Of course! I took you home, didn’t I? It’s only polite. But-” He tugged Lutz over the threshold and grinned down at him, “You owe me the details.”

 

Lutz nodded, “I guess I do, huh?”

  
  


Brynn was quite a good host, and had served them both some sort of hot, herbal tea before interrogating Lutz about everything that happened before he came to the Ark, and what his human coworkers had said exactly. Lutz, blushing all the while and trying not to cover his face, told him, and Brynn nodded while sipping his drink. 

 

“So this was a strange plan but it was a smart one. You’re too cute to send home after a good fuck.” He winked over his cup at Lutz, then tapped his teeth against the ceramic, “Unfortunately for you I’m more interested in showing you the masterpiece that is the Pale Suns film production line. It’s written by a human-Exo team that don’t talk to each other at  _ all  _ and it shows. It’s like watching a slow moving ship crash but at the last second the hero gets the girl and eats her too.”

Lutz didn’t know how to parse what he’d just said so he laughed nervously, sure he would find out once this talk was over. 

 

Brynn cut his eyes to Lutz then set his cup down, “Can I ask why you need a place to stay? They didn’t...threaten you, did they?”

 

They? Lutz was caught on the idea that he meant Korrin but then things clicked into place. His Brood. Or, as Brynn had called them, his exes. “No! No, it’s...loneliness, mostly. I can’t be alone.” 

 

Just like that the world outside seemed so much bigger and emptier, once he’d said it. Brynn nodded, “Alright. Well, you can sleep on the couch or in my bed, but if you stay in bed with me prepare for the longest movie marathon of your life.”

 

“Just like that?”

 

Brynn nodded, “Just like that. I’m not one to judge.” He hesitated again, caught between something he wanted to say and something he didn’t. Brynn looked away, “Besides, I’m lonely too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alien movies and chill

Brynn’s couch, like his apartment, was small, but Lutz didn’t mind how close they sat. Humans were warm, and Brynn was certainly no exception, and he felt himself leaning towards the source of heat as they looked through list after list of movie. 

“What do you like? Action? Horror? Comedy?” Brynn’s face split into a grin, “Romance?”

The sheer amount of film titles staring back at him from the vidscreen left Lutz feeling overwhelmed. He suddenly wasn’t even sure if he’d ever seen a movie, not even back home, despite knowing he had. His mind was blank.

“Uh, something you like? I don’t know…”

Brynn nodded, then began muttering to himself, flicking through lists and categories and series as he began searching. As he leaned forward, his legs spread a little, touching Lutz’ thigh. Lutz tried to pay attention but he could feel the heat radiating from Brynn and it felt nice. 

He wondered if Brynn would be okay if he wanted to snuggle up to him, soak in the heat. Then it occurred to him that his skin was likely too cold for him, and he shuffled away, tail back between his hands as he worried over making Brynn both uncomfortable and cold. 

“Here - we can start with something not too serious but still entertaining. It’s a popular movie, so it’s got all the tropes you’d expect but its still good. It’ll also expose you to human society without any of the bullshit they usually put in human-made productions. You don’t know how many years we had to put up with stupid stereotypes that weren’t even true. Thank goodness the Intergalactic Media Association formed and started putting quality control on these sorts of things.” 

 

Brynn settled back, leg returning to his cushion and he draped his arms over the back of the couch. It took Lutz a few seconds of staring at the vidscreen (currently showing...ads? Was this part of the movie?) to realize Brynn was staring at him. He turned towards him and asked about the ads. 

“Your movies don’t have them?”

“No? Why would they?”

Brynn tsked and shook his head, “Dang, you’re lucky. It’s just something the streaming service forces you to sit through before beginning the movie. It’s bullshit but I don’t feel like bypassing it today - actually,” He swapped topics, turning back towards Lutz, “I wanted to ask you something.”

Lutz swallowed, “What?”

“Can I touch your horns?” 

“Oh.” He felt relief, though he wasn’t sure what exactly he’d been scared that Brynn would ask. “Yeah, sure.” He tilted his head forward, but he still wasn’t prepared for how soft and warm Brynn’s hands were. He clutched his tail, forcing his shoulders to relax as fingers explored the hard plates on his skull and surrounding his horns. It was muted, but he could feel the heat. 

“They’re softer than I thought they’d be.” Brynn commented with a humm, “You trim them? Sand them down?”

Lutz was awkwardly staring at his hands, “Uh, yeah. Dangerous to walk around with big ones, though some like to grow theirs out. 

He jumped slightly, feeling breath tickle his scalp, and stilled. 

“There are rings in them - that’s cool.” 

And just as suddenly, Brynn’s hands were gone. Lutz looked up to see Brynn smirking at him. “Do you want to touch my hair? Since I’ve already groped your head?”

A glimpse at the movie showed that the ads were just ending and there were long strings of names scrolling up. Lutz figured they had some more time, though it would be easy to pause and...continue whatever this was. He’d be quick. 

A nod and Brynn ducked down to Lutz’ height, murmuring, “Just don’t pull too hard.”

Lutz reached out to touch it and blinked. It was warm, too, though if it was attached to Brynn that made sense. The strands were silky as he ran his claws through them, careful not to touch his head. How anyone could live without plating especially around their skull was terrifying to him. They parted and ran through his fingers almost like liquid. Mesmerized, he touched the part where it was brown then faded to orange, nails dragging along his head. Brynn made a sound in his throat and Lutz pulled away, hands up. 

“S-Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Scalps are sensitive, it felt good, don’t worry.”

As they finally turned toward the movie Lutz began to worry what Brynn had meant by good. He’d be mortified if he’d hurt him, but even more so if he’d done something that felt too good. He swallowed again and glanced at Brynn, who was glancing at him, and they both muffled their laughter. 

“I’ve already seen this. You’re the one who has to pay attention.”

“It’s hard when I’m being watched.”

Brynn blinked, then cursed, “Ah, sorry. I’m being creepy again. He turned to the screen and turned to stone, so still that Lutz muffled a snort and tried to pay attention. 

There was a human woman, her hair was much longer than Brynn’s and looked soft and fluffy. Her eyes were pale, though, showcasing their strange circular pupils. She was running somewhere through a crowd of people. It was relieving to see crowds. On this station it was easy to believe the universe was as empty as this lone waypoint. Good to remember that he was not alone, even while he was, in person, more alone than he was used to. Brynn’s leg nudged his again, and he turned to see Brynn smiling but not. Like the smile was trying to bubble through but Brynn was fighting it back. He snorted and pushed back against the leg. 

“Get your weird knees away from me.”

“My knees? Weird? You’re the one with bendy legs!” Brynn moved back, but no by much. Lutz didn’t mind. 

There was an explosion, the woman was sad, but so far no words had been spoken. Other than the music, the movie felt silent. He frowned. 

“Why so quiet?”

“Hm?”

“She’s in a crowded city, why can’t we hear people talking?”

“That many people? It’d be loud.”

“Of course it would?” He glanced at Brynn, who shrugged. “In our movies everyone’s talking.”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone.”

“Wow, that sounds confusing.” 

“You forget we grow up in big colonies. Very close. Crowds like this-” He points to the screen, “everywhere.”

“Interesting. You’ll have to show me some cool Omori movies. If you want to.” 

Lutz nodded, then watched as the woman entered what appeared to be a home, but it was an empty one. No one, not even an animal waiting for her. 

“Humans like to be alone?”

“Some of us. Others don’t. It’s common in movies for one person to be in a home by themselves unless they have a love interest.”

“Sounds boring.”

Brynn laughed, flapping his hands at Lutz when he tried to apologize, “It is. The movie just wants us to see how she is when she’s alone. Shows us who she is as a person.”

Lutz didn’t understand how one could learn anything about a person when she wasn’t surrounded by those close to her, but he let the matter drop. Thinking of it in terms of the movie showing something as opposed to humanity as a whole helped him stop comparing everything she did to everything he’d seen Brynn do. 

 

After a moment he asked, “Are you alone here?”

 

Of course he was, Brynn had said he was lonely too. He was about to apologize again when Brynn’s hand reached out and slid over the plates on his head. It stayed there, a reassuring weight, while Brynn’s blunt nails scratched at the base of his horns. Lutz’ tail curled in bliss and he fought to keep from closing his eyes. “That feels nice.” 

 

“My sister comes over most days to visit. She lives on the other branch of the station with all the other geniuses. She brings me coffee. Other than that, I don’t have any friends here.”

 

Lutz turned to him, smile splitting his face as he clutched the cushion between them, “I’ll be your friend. I-if you want.”

 

Brynn’s eyes were squinting again, and he smiled, giving Lutz’ head a vigorous rub before returning his hand to his lap. “I’d like that.” 

 

The woman on the screen was sad again, and then very quickly she was angry. Teeth bared and body tense, the first words of the movie rang out between them; “ARES!”

 

The screen turned black, then, slowly, the hull of a spaceship came into view. 

 

“What happened to the woman?” 

 

“Shush. We’re meeting the handsome love interest.”

 

“Oh? Which?”

 

“Which what?” Brynn dragged his eyes away from the screen to tilt his head at Lutz.

 

“Which love? Your translator doesn’t tell me what kind. I can guess, but it’s weirdly...vague?”

 

“Sexual and romantic I suppose. That’s all human movies are about, usually. What about Oomori movies?”

 

“All of them. At once, if the writer isn’t trying to make a point.”

 

“All of them?” 

 

Lutz glanced away from a bulging human chest to see Brynn turned back to him. He frowned. “What don’t tell me you haven’t heard of other types before.” 

“Well, yeah we have familial, platonic, mentorship, sexual, romantic, a few more, but how do they manage that?”

 

Lutz scoffed, “A movie without a liminous bond or a polybonded relationship would be boring.”

 

Brynn’s grin was growing, though he shook his head. “I don’t know what those are but I would love to hear more about them.”

 

“Okay so,” Lutz turned his whole body towards him, swinging his legs around to cross them between them. He wiggled until he got comfy and stole one pillow to hold to his chest. Brynn did the same, and their knees, though different, were mirroring the same pose. 

 

“This movie is about the bond between just this woman and her lover right?”

 

“Yeah. It’s cliche, but humanity can’t get enough of the same damn story.”

 

“A bond between just two people has...limited scope. We don’t see what type of people they are away from each other or with others. It’s really...lonely and we only see them when they’re singular.” He shook his head, “It’s like trying to understand everything about a complete stranger. There’s no context.” 

 

“You really know someone when you see them with their close ones. I don’t know a lot about you, I only know who you are around me. Seeing you with your sister would give me a better idea of who you were.”

 

“You’re the one who came home with me - a stranger.” 

 

Lutz threw the pillow at him, “I’m desperate and so are you. Normally, neither of us would dare something like this until-” 

He remembered himself and fell quiet. “Sorry. We should watch the movie.”

 

The pillow smacked him in the face and he heard the sounds of gunfire emitting from the screen halt. Brynn turned the screen off and scooted closer, the warmth of his breath surrounding Lutz with the smell of herbal tea and a hint of the alcohol they’d consumed earlier, plus something uniquely human. “I want to hear about all these relationships and types of love. It’s the first time I’ve seen you happy about explaining something.”

 

Lutz felt his scales prickle and coughed, “Sorry.”

 

The pillow hit him again. “Don’t be. We have time to watch movies. You look so much better when you relax, and this is relaxing you. Go on.” 

 

“Okay, okay. Fine.” Lutz snatched the pillow back and crushed it to his chest, smile growing despite his efforts to stop it. “Relationships with only two people are only a fraction of everyday life. Polybonded. Multiple people, multiple relationships. They can be any type of love. Much more complex and they show us the different faces a person wears when among lovers, friends, and others. Liminous bonds are…” He paused, taking in Brynn’s face and hid behind the pillow. 

 

“Like If we did lay together, me and your sister would have a liminous bond. The bond of being related to the object of one's desire.” He peeked over the top to see Brynn smiling, but his face was pink. “Sometimes but not always one can be lovers with a Lim, but it’s...different. It’s like loving each other loving someone else?” 

 

When he peeked again Brynn’s brows were drawn down over his eyes and his lips were pursed into a scowl. “You’re only here to sleep with my sister, huh?” He stood up on his knees, towering over Lutz, who almost panicked, but he caught sight of Brynn’s smile-in-hiding seconds before the human came down upon him, hands prodding his sides. 

 

“What are you doing?”  Lutz watched, squirming a bit but Brynn wasn’t hurting him. The human let out a groan and flopped back down.

 

“Figures your species isn’t ticklish. I was playing with you. It sounds interesting, really, but you’re too damn cute and I wanted to-” He made a gesture in the air, head hanging backwards off of the arm of the couch.

 

“Ticklish?” He’d head Korrin talk about that before. Judging on where Brynn had touched him...Lutz smiled. 

 

He crawled over to the human and drew his claws over his sides, digging into the softer flesh of his stomach. 

 

Brynn came alive with a screech and nearly flipped off of the couch, legs and arms flailing. “Stooop!” 

 

Lutz followed him onto the ground digging harder as the human all but convulsed, big hearty laughs shaking his body just as he fought and squirmed to get away. His face was changing color and Lutz was only slightly alarmed by it. Working with humans had given him an idea about what color changes meant for them. 

 

Brynn finally fought him off, hands holding Lutz’ wrists up and away while he panted and giggled. 

 

“Just for that,” He breathed, “I’m not making you breakfast.”

 

Brynn smelled different now, a tinge of sweat and something else. Lutz jerked backwards out of reach, eyes going wide. 

 

“I didn’t mean to!” He covered his face again. “Why is tickling something sexy for your species how weird are you?”

 

Brynn let out a startled laugh, which quickly became loud, uncontrollable laughter, punctuated by soft snorts. 

 

He put his arms on his hips as he watched the human laugh, “You tried to tickle me!! Was that some sort of foreplay?”

 

Brynn howled and shook, face red as Lutz stared him down. “No-no it it wasn’t!” He put hi hands up. “I told you - you’re cute!” 

 

He held up a finger, a gesture Lutz had seen before, usually meaning wait. He curled back up on the couch while Brynn fought to control himself. 

 

Brynn hugged his sides and rolled over onto his face with a grunt, and was still. 

 

After catching his breath he lifted his head. “Not necessarily sexy, but you’re cute. As I said. I don’t mean anything by it. We still have a movie to watch. So keep your nose to yourself!”

 

Lutz pinched his nose and turned his head away, prompting Brynn to giggle some more.

 

A tingle ran down his spine and he silently cursed, fighting back any too-warm feelings towards Brynn. No bonding. Friendship, which, for humans, was more like Omori acquaintance-ship. Real friend bonds were much different. Brynn said  _ friends _ . 

 

He cleared his throat and pat the seat cushion beside him. 

 

“So,” Brynn smiled up at him, slowly getting to his feet, “What does that make us on the relationship scale?”

 

Human relationships are very impersonal. No touching, no kissing or cuddling. Those roles are saved for romantic or familial relationships. Lutz repeated the lines from the videos as he put space between them and replied, “Friends. The human kind.” 

 

Brynn turned his head to fiddle with the controls to the video and said nothing, settling into place beside Lutz.

 

They turned to watch the woman dive through gunfire and run away from comically large explosions. 

Was Brynn mad at him? Their knees no longer touched, but humans weren’t touchy. If they were Omori ‘friends’ they’d be all over each other. But human standards, were they? He fought back his anxiety while Brynn quietly murmured explanations for why the woman wasn’t being believed about the terrorists. 

 

“They don’t believe her because she lost a loved one.”

 

“Why wouldn’t they believe her for that?” Without thinking about the distance that had grown between them, Lutz found himself asking another question. 

 

“When humans lose loved ones they act very irrational sometimes.” Brynn’s eyes were on him again. “Sometimes they lash out, sometimes they do things they wouldn’t normally do.”

 

“Like go to hook up with someone at a bar?”

 

That earned him a soft chuckle that felt far too good to hear. Lutz glanced over at Brynn who nodded, looking sad. “Yeah.”

 

“Not so different then, I guess.” Lutz scooted over so their knees were touching, giving in to his impulse. Brynn made a sound in his throat but didn’t pull away.

 

The woman - Edith - was alone. And then she wasn’t. Victor was there, and they couldn’t stop looking at each other. Soft music played whenever they were together and even when Edith pretended she didn’t care about him - a game Lutz didn’t understand but Brynn explained it well enough - she still found herself staring. 

 

Lutz snuck glanced at Brynn throughout, who was usually looking at him with a smile on his face. 

 

Edith fought as ferociously as Victor, and made her way through the enemies like a shooting star. She fought and fought and fought until Ares - the leader - was vanquished. Then, when she was done avenging her family, Victor was there for her. 

 

Lutz watched the finale, wondering why human relationships needed so much conflict. Maybe it was some sort of mating ritual. 

 

Keeping his face turned to the screen, Lutz snuck another look at Brynn. Lutz wasn’t much of a fighter. Would Brynn be the Edith in this scenario or Victor?

 

“I’d definitely be Edith.” He raised his arms up and tensed his muscles, grinning wide. “I’d save you as many times as you need to be saved.”

 

“I’m not planning on being kidnapped by interstellar human supremacists.” Lutz pointed out dryly. 

 

“I can still save you without killing a bunch of meatheads.” Brynn winked, then excitedly turned off the video and turned to him. “So? What did you think? Pretty standard for a human movie, not a lot wrong with it but not a lot right either…”

 

Lutz hummed, “It was good, I just don’t understand the need for all the killing.”

 

“True. Humanity does love its action movies. How about something softer, next time? A comedy or something more peaceful?” Brynn froze, then looked at Lutz again. 

 

“Are you tired? Wanna go to bed?”

 

Lutz blinked, then slowly nodded. “Yeah actually, I haven’t been getting much sleep lately…”

 

“You look it.” Bryn got up and held out his hand. “Come on then, I’m a good host.” 

 

Lutz took his hand and was lifted to his feet and led into the bedroom. 

 

“You’re apartments are the size of an Omori apartment…” He wondered aloud. Korins apartment had been a single room with little space to turn around in. 

 

“Yeah my sister’s a genius - I told you - she got me a pretty decent place to live.” Brynn entered the bedroom and made a twisting sort of guesture and bowed, “Welcome to my abode. I sleep on the left side, you can have the right. Bathroom’s through there and you obviously saw the kitchen if you need water.” 

 

He released Lutz who instinctively reached for his other hand, freezing once their fingers were locked and Brynn turned back to look at him quizzically. 

 

“Uh...sorry. It’s stupid Omori stuff.” He reluctantly released his hand and grabbed his own hand to keep them from getting him into more trouble. 

 

“It’s not stupid it’s just cultural stuff right? Aren’t you always touching and hugging and stuff? Shit - sorry I should have been more affectionate.” Brynn grabbed a blanket from the closet and threw it on the bed, reaching over to squeeze Lutz’ shoulder as he passed, “One moment.”

 

He disappeared into the bathroom while Lutz called after him, “You don’t need to do anything! I’m not - it’s just…” He hissed out a breath, “I’m not some needy problem for you to solve.”

 

Brynn poked his head out of the door, scowling. “What?”

 

He strode out of the room, half dressed into some silky looking pants and no shirt. He knelt down in front of Lutz and grabbed his hands. “Hey.” 

 

Lutz looked down at his feet, tail thrashing behind him, “It’s not your problem,” he started, but Brynn shook his hands. 

 

“I’m happy to help you. You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t. Holding hands and cuddling is  _ not _ a problem for me,” He laughed, “I’m touch-starved as it is, I’ve just been socialized not to touch unless asked, it’s a…” 

 

“A human thing?” 

 

Brynn grimaced, “It’s a Brynn thing, actually. Just me and my sis. Not very touchy, though if this,” He raised their hands, “Helps you. We can do it.”

 

Lutz squeezed Brynn’s hands.

 

“Okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Brynn stood up and wrapped his arms around Lutz, pulling him to his chest. Metal threaded through his skin on his chest clinked against Lutz’ head plate, and they both dissolved into giggles. 

 

Brynn threw himself into bed and immediately burrowed into the covers, throwing the blankets back and patting the bed for Lutz, who jumped in beside him. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

Brynn flopped over to look at Lutz, who scooted closer and hugged him. Brynn’s soft hands rubbed Lutz’ back and he placed his chin on his head. 

 

“It must be hard being alone.” His voice rumbled in the scant spaces between them and Lutz burrowed closer, head pressed to his chest. 

 

“Isn’t it?” He asked, feeling Brynn squeeze him tighter. 

 

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been laboring for so long wondering how to end this! Will they or wont they? WILL THEY OR WONT THEY?!
> 
> In the end intimacy is intimacy whether or not this is a real one night stand. I hope you enjoyed and tune in for more alien sci fi stuff!


End file.
